Family Emergency Plan

A good home emergency plan includes family communication, insurance protection, protection of vital records and documents, and caring for animals. If your family includes an older person or someone with special needs, make sure your plan is specifically designed to address this.

• Write down your family's plan and store it in a safe place (preferably with your emergency kit).
• Decide on a safe meeting place in your home, in your community, and in a nearby town. When an emergency occurs that damages your home or community, your family members will know where to go.
• Review (and practice) your family emergency plan at least twice per year.
• Decide how family members will communicate after a disaster. Discuss multiple methods of communicating since phone networks are often disrupted following a disaster.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when writing your plan:

• How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
• What is my shelter plan?
• What is my evacuation route?
• What is my family/household communication plan?
• Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?